Jerry Harrison, Adrian Belew & Cool Cool Cool Bring ‘Remain In Light’ To High Sierra

Talking Heads co-founding member Jerry Harrison and touring guitarist Adrian Belew brought their Remain In Light tribute to the High Sierra Music Festival on the Fourth of July. High-quality fan-shot video of the full set has surfaced and can be viewed below.

Harrison and Belew are joined in Remain In Light band by Cool Cool Cool, bassist Julie Slick and percussionist Yahuba Garcia-Torres. The ensemble’s 90-minute Grandstand Stage performance included five songs from the iconic 1980 album as well as other Talking Heads classics and more.

The Remain In Light tribute was announced by Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew in 2021 and initially saw the pair backed by Turkuaz. After Turkuaz broke up, Harrison and Belew continued on with Garcia-Torres, Slick and Cool Cool Cool — featuring the seven members of Turkuaz that departed the band. Over 50 shows have been played by the ensemble thus far.

While “Psycho Killer” opened, the group then turned their attention to Remain In Light for “Crosseyed & Painless” and “Houses In Motion.” The record was also represented at HSMF by performances of “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On),” “Once In A Lifetime” and “The Great Curve.” Other Talking Heads songs played in Quincy, California on Independence Day included “Cities,” “Slippery People,” “I Zimbra,” and “Life During Wartime.”

Both frontmen had turns in the singular spotlight. Harrison led the band through “Rev It Up” off his 1988 Casual Gods album, while Belew fronted “Thela Hun Ginjeet” from his time in King Crimson. A cover of Al Green’s “Take Me To The River,” played often by Talking Heads, closed the main set. The Remain In Light band then served up a “Drugs”/”The Great Curve” encore.

Watch the full Remain In Light tribute captured by videographer Ted Silverman below:

Setlist

Set: Psycho Killer, Crosseyed & Painless, Houses In Motion, I Zimbra, Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On), Cities, Rev It Up, Slippery People, Thela Hun Ginjeet, Life During Wartime, Once In A Lifetime, Take Me To The River

Encore: Drugs, The Great Curve